mystic spires salvia

We have a grower that does an outstanding job growing Mystic Spires Saliva in “tubs”. Wow, they are gorgeous! They can be planted in containers or in the ground. I have mine right by my front door. They get morning sun until about 1 pm and are very happy, but also can get full sun. They produce masses of true blue flowers and in all the years I’ve had them, no bugs! AND, they make great cut flowers! Enjoy!!

-Sally

A favorite stand-by in Gill landscape designs!

[x_slider animation=”slide” slide_time=”3000″ slide_speed=”300″ slideshow=”true” control_nav=”true” prev_next_nav=”true”][x_slide][/x_slide][x_slide][/x_slide][x_slide][/x_slide][x_slide][/x_slide][x_slide][/x_slide][x_slide][/x_slide][x_slide][/x_slide][x_slide][/x_slide][x_slide][/x_slide][/x_slider]

This past week, one of our customers explained that her squash plant had great foliage and lots of blooms, but it was not producing any squash. This can often be attributed to a watering or fertilizer issue, but sometimes you might have a pollination problem. So, what’s the solution?

Bees! Bees are the best pollinators, and they are the reason many of your veggies are able to produce. Bees move pollen back and forth between male and female flowers on your plants. The transfer of pollen fertilizes the female flower allowing the plant to fruit.

The best way to attract these powerful pollinators to your garden is to plant pollinizer plants. Here are some of our favorite plants to bring home the bees:

Magic Mountain Basil or Thai Basil: excellent varieties for cooking and irresistible to bees!
Dwarf Calliandra (powder puff plant): popular landscape shrub that has beautiful “powder puff” blooms.

Mystic Spires Salvia: long purple spires that attract a variety of pollinators to the garden including bees and hummingbirds.
Alyssum: low- growing annual with purple or white blooms and a lovely fragrance that’s attractive to humans and bees.

Pro tip: On occasion, the bees can miss some plants. You can “false pollinate” your plants with a Q tip or a small paint brush. Lightly brush inside the male flower, then brush inside the female flower to help transfer pollen.

-Wyatt

Two of our favorite people, Marie (James’ sister) and Lanny (our brother-in-law) bought a home on the outskirts of Wimberley, Texas about seven years ago. It sits on an acre of land, with a covered veranda across the back of the house, looking out onto a small garden area and swimming pool with a grove of oaks along the back of the pool, and steps dropping down to a lower level of native trees and grasses.

Upon moving in, they both were drawn to the deer that wandered the neighborhood and the local and migrating birds and butterflies. So began the plan for their landscape. Their intention was for everything in the garden to be focused on birds, pollinators, and other critters.

Today, when James and I visit Marie and Lanny, we feel like we’re in paradise. Marie starts her day by filling the bird baths and bird feeders. Her monthly budget includes several hundred pounds of bird seed, peeled and shelled sunflower seed for the finches, a sunflower seed mix for cardinals, doves, titmice, woodpeckers, chickadees, and gold finch, a sunflower seed mix with peanuts and other goodies for the jays. And of course hummingbird feeders and plants for the hummingbirds. “Girlie”, a deer they befriended (and named) in the neighborhood, peers in their front window in the morning – a cue she and her fawn are ready for Marie’s protein formula deer food.

They have a trough of water they keep filled for the deer and smaller animals, including a local fox that comes around when the coast is clear. Marie keeps blooming flowers for the hummingbirds including salvias and Turks cap, and zinnias, tithonia and mist flower for the butterflies and bees.

Down below, on the undeveloped piece of their property, Lanny built a “She Shed” for Marie, where she displays many of her botanical prints, an amazing collection of her family’s antique colored glass flower vases, twiggy bird nests with colored eggs, snake skins, garden tools, garden fabrics and textiles, bird cages and bird houses. It’s heaven on earth for me!! Leading up to the “She Shed” are recirculating water fountains, birdbaths, ferns and hanging baskets with flowers spilling over. And of course on the covered porch are chairs for relaxing.

Ever since I’ve known Lanny, he’s always had a vegetable garden. In Wimberley, he built his biggest one yet. He edged his garden with limestone “cut rock”, created paths with crushed granite and fenced his 25’x20’ garden with wood posts and cattle panels, allowing sun to reach his garden on all sides. On the outside of the fenced area are more raised beds and the compost bins. Lanny says the secret to his garden success is soil regeneration and soaker hoses. He believes in the “no till” method, that is do not disturb the soil; leave the micro-organisms underground and healthy. Marie and Lanny save all their fruit and vegetable scraps for composting. He adds manure, cotton seed compost (high in nitrogen), and garden compost to his beds every spring and fall to ensure the best soil and healthy vegetables. Lanny likes to grow greens because they are compact and keep giving, like spinaches, Swiss chard, collard greens and mustard greens and he always has a great crop of tomatoes, spring and fall.

Marie and Lanny, surrounded by nature, are blessed with their three dogs – Uno, Izzie and Loki – their family. Their days are filled with all the surprises nature can bring – from a fawn just born nestled under the deck to bumblebees buzzing around blooming Mystic Spires salvia, hummingbirds sipping nectar and woodpeckers knocking on wood. James and I are so happy they’ve made a heaven on earth for themselves and their critters!

-Sally Gill

Happy 2023! January is time to get started on garden resolutions. Planning a veggie garden? New landscape beds? More Texas native plants to support wildlife? So many possibilities, and we’re here to help. Here are our top must-do’s this month to set your projects up for success.

Check out our January Garden Guide for more tips and remember that trees, shrubs, and perennials can be planted 12 months out of the year! The only difference is the amount of water they need depending on temperatures and wind!

1. Prep Beds for Spring Planting

January is our month to plan and prep for Spring. Clean up, remove weeds, and prep your garden beds by adding some compost! We love Nature’s Blend Compost for veggie and landscape beds. A good ratio is 1 bag per 12 sq. ft. of space. If you make your own compost, that approximate ratio works well. It doesn’t have to be exact. Turn the compost a few inches into the soil with a shovel or garden forks for a good full-body workout!

2. Yes, You Can Plant in January!

Trees, shrubs, and perennials will build healthy root systems during their winter dormancy making for stronger, healthier plants in Spring and Summer. Just a few days after the freeze, we planted a butterfly garden with Texas Lantana, Mystic Spires Salvia, Texas Frogfruit, Skeleton leaf Goldeneye, and more. Yes, we plan to cover it if we get any more cold weather, but those plants are getting a head start now and will be ready to burst with growth this Spring!

3. Feed Your Citrus Trees

Meyer Lemons on the left with fertilizer, Meyer lemons on the right without!

Fertilize your citrus trees in January for more blooms, again in May/June for better fruit set, and again in September/October for nutrients. We recommend fertilizing with Espoma Citrus-Tone – all organic. Remember to fertilize trees, including citrus, at the drip line. That means spread fertilizer in a circle where the rain naturally drips down from the leaves, not right up against the trunk.

4. Start Veggie Seeds!

January is time to start tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, chard, onions, carrots, beets, parsley and more from seed. We carry seed-starting trays, peat pots, and special cutting/seedling soil for starting seeds indoors or on a protected/covered patio. A good rule of thumb is that once the seedlings have made their first true set of leaves, they are ready to be transplanted into a larger container outside or directly into the garden bed.

Check out our full Spring planting guide here.

5. Start Your Post-Freeze Clean Up, but Not Too Much Pruning!

Remember – wait to do any major pruning of freeze-damaged plants until February. You don’t want the plant to think its time to start putting on new growth since we still may have another cold snap. However, there’s definitely some clean-up that can be started now. As a general rule, if freeze-damaged plants are mushy and slimy, go ahead and clean out the mushy parts. If freeze-damaged plants are dry and crunchy, leave them alone. That dry, crunchy foliage will help insulate against any more possible freezes.

Ornamental grasses, like Pink Muhly or Purple Fountain grass, are an exception. They should be cut back this month. Trim them straight across (no cupcakes) 3”-4“ from the ground. Use a bungee cord or piece of rope to gather them up, then cut straight across.

6. Spend Time with Your Houseplants

Most houseplants will need more light and less water this month. Keep their leaves clean to help them take up sunlight and prevent bad bugs. Experiment with lighting/placement, and take them outside for a sunny day or 2.

FYI – the Gill team (Ori, Debbie, and Jesse) are headed to the Tropical Plant International Expo in Tampa this month. We can’t wait to tour houseplant growing operations and get the scoop on new varieties!